Ghosts
by Insaniiity
Summary: HIATUS. Sequel to Undying. Unseen consequences lead to the disappearance of the Cullens - however, an unknowing Edward is left behind to suffer the loss of his love. What will happen when the local werewolves discover the human-vampire hybrid?
1. Prologue

**A/N: alright, so I've decided to make a sequel, rather than a really long story. It seems more coherent that way, anyways. I'll try to keep up with this story, though i'm making no promises.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight. If i did, i'd be famous. And alas, i'm not. -sad me-**

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_Ghosts_

Prologue

Life was getting progressively better for me—until the day came when the need for me to risk my life—again—arose, and I found myself racing to save what was left of my life, the only one left _in_ my life.

It was strange, really, running as fast as I was. I had never really come used to it. Especially since the diamond skin didn't come with _my _abilities. But it seemed that the price I had to pay was greater than hers.

I couldn't protect myself from all of Italy.

So, it seemed that not only was I running to save my love, but I was also running _away_, because if they found out what I was... then everyone was doomed.

Because my coven was the second largest in the world, the most dangerous threat. And if it was possible, then it would be taken out.

And I had so many secrets to keep—none of them my own. So many people to protect.

It takes a great amount of power and a greater amount of corruption to be as twisted as to create an army of ghosts—but we both knew that was how it would turn out, if they found me.

So I ran.

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**A/N: what brought Edward to these horrible circumstances? An army of ghosts?! gasp! stay tuned for more**


	2. Chapter 1: Life

**Disclaimer: 'nuff said**

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Chapter 1: Life

The last semester of my junior year finally met its match, and I found myself lounging with Bella in the Cullen's living room. She was watching Romeo and Juliette for the hundredth time that year, so it's suffice to say that I was bored out of my mind.

My arm was draped over her shoulders as I played with her hair absentmindedly; thinking of what had happened only months earlier.

My mother had died, so of course I moved in with the Cullens. They welcomed me with open arms; especially since I made their oldest daughter (she was the first person Carlisle changed) so deliriously happy. However, in order to keep up with the charade that my mother and I were in an accident and collided with a giant tree—because there had to be some excuse as to why my mother passed away and I nearly did, while there were no other witnesses—Alice took the liberty of taking my car and driving it into the largest tree she could find.

Of course, she also somehow found the emptiest highway within a 20 minute drive from Forks; which is how I was lucky enough to fall under the care of _Dr. Carlisle Cullen_, without a single shred of suspicion.

I yawned and stretched as much as I could without disturbing Bella. I was coming close to my weekly nap time, which meant that as soon as this dull movie was over, I was out of here. I was only watching it in the first place because my angel wanted to. Honestly, I couldn't understand how she could watch something until she could singlehandedly perform the whole move and yet still want to watch it, but who was I to judge? Whatever Bella wanted, I would surely give it to her.

The movie finally unwound, and I stood up happily.

"Tired already?" Bella asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Bella, it's been over a week already," I reminded her, poking her gently on her perfect little nose. "I'm still part human, you know. That means sleep."

"Ghosts don't sleep," she mumbled pathetically.

I chuckled, and I knew that if vampires could blush, Bella would be.

"Either you're human or you're vampire; you can't sleep _and _have excellent hearing," she whined. I couldn't help but flash my now perfectly-lopsided grin at her. I was pleased when she smiled in return.

I leaned down to meet Bella's lips with my own, whispering my goodnight to her as I did so. "I'll see you in an hour, love."

She nodded in defeat, and I dashed to my room.

I literally plopped myself down into my king-sized bed and felt myself slowly drift to sleep. Before darkness took me over, I glanced at the digital clock beside my bed. 7:03 PM.

* * *

When I awoke an hour later, it was to a house devoid of thought. I felt my brow furrow in confusion. Usually I could hear _something_, but I didn't so much as hear a chair slide across the floor.

Needless to say I was completely lost. If everyone went out hunting, I had no way of knowing. Especially since even though Bella would stay behind, I couldn't hear her thoughts, which meant that the only way I could discover the truth would be to go out and find her—wherever she was.

Fortunately, I found Bella in the kitchen, preparing a lasagne for me—or at least, _attempting_ to. I grimaced as I took in the sight before me. Tomato sauce and chunks of cheese splattered on beef and noodles was definitely _not_ lasagne.

I chuckled softly as I walked up behind her, and wrapped my arms around her waist. I forgot how deliciously pleasant she smelled. I kissed her neck tenderly; successfully distracting her from the clump of ingredients she called food.

"You really didn't have to make me food," I said honestly, trailing kisses along her jaw.

She gulped audibly. I snickered; obviously my distractions were better than I had thought.

"I thought I'd surprise you when you woke up, though I expected you to be sleeping a lot longer," she said sadly. This caught me off guard, so I looked at the clock hanging from the wall. 7:36. I had barely gotten half an hour of sleep.

"I missed you too much to sleep well," I said truthfully. I grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, capturing her lips with my own.

She eagerly deepened the kiss, running her tongue across my bottom lip hungrily. Distraction accomplished. I smiled against the soft contours of her delicate lips and crushed myself into her. I felt myself slowly losing my careful control; of course I never wanted to push Bella too far. And it seemed that she didn't have any boundaries for herself, so I had to keep those, too.

After another minute of trying desperately to mould our bodies together, I sighed and pulled myself from my angel.

Bella stared blankly at me. "Wow."

I chuckled. "Yes, wow," I said lamely.

I took her hand in mine and casually threw out the disaster-food as I led her out of the kitchen.

"Where're we going?" she asked excitedly.

I couldn't help but chuckle yet again; this woman had that affect on me—I was always giddily happy around her.

I massaged the back of her hand with my thumb. "I thought we could use a nice distraction," I said seductively as I dragged her—gently—outside.

"I like distractions," she said absentmindedly. I smiled contentedly.

* * *

Bella and I were laying quietly in our meadow. Her head was resting gingerly on my chest; I was playing with her soft dark hair.

"You sparkle," I pointed out lamely.

"Mmmm..."

I kissed her hair. "You don't know how happy you make me, Bella," I confessed.

Bella shifted her weight so that she was facing me, though she was still draped over my chest. "I think I have some idea," she said, a ghost of a smile dancing on her lips as they drew toward mine.

I smiled back at her, then reached my hand up and pulled her head down towards mine, our lips meeting on the way down. I chuckled happily as our tongues collided and danced in our mouths. I was hungry. I wanted her. I _needed_ her.

But I kept myself in check.

I broke our kiss to let my lips explore her jaw, her throat, her collarbone, her shoulders... trailing down her body with kisses. Her skin was sweet against my nose and tongue, cool but warm at the same time. When I finally made my way to her stomach I started back up again, dragging my nose up her pale skin, taking everything in.

When I finally made it to her neck again, I felt my fangs slip from their sheaths. I opened my mouth slowly and clamped down on her neck; breaking the diamond skin but causing no pain, only pure ecstasy. I wasn't thirsty for blood; that wasn't my goal. What I wanted was the pleasure that came when my aching fangs found their home. What Bella received in turn was our minds linking and my own pleasure ghosted through her.

For vampires, biting your mate's neck was a sign of affection.

For Ghost vampires, it was brought the full joy of togetherness; as if you belonged together.

But there was only joy when you were with the one you loved.

I knew the moment could continue on forever if I wanted it to; but pumping my pleasure-venom was tiring (I didn't have vampire-transforming venom, and my mouth only welled with my venom when I was in a heated moment with my mate—double-duty fangs, so to speak). So finally I released Bella from my hold, taking us both down from our highs.

I kissed the small wounds in her neck gingerly; knowing that I alone could close them for my angel.

This wasn't the first time I had bitten Bella. We had experimented a lot when I was first transformed—we still experimented. I was a completely new species, unheard of prior to my own unique transformation. Carlisle had, of course, agreed that it was important to discover every aspect of my new form, so Bella and I had had many trips into this world of ecstasy now, although I tried to limit them as much as possible—once again, thinking only of Bella; who knew how far I would take things if I got carried away. I was not going to take what was left of her innocence away from her; not now.

I decided, as I was becoming more rational after my high, that it would be more than wise to come up with a subject change.

"So, where's the rest of the family?" I asked casually, trying my best to ignore the husky sound to my voice.

Bella shifted nervously, and her mood seemed to drop dramatically.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me," I said glumly. Who was I to upset her? It couldn't be done; I couldn't make myself hurt her ever again.

"No, it's okay," she whispered. I had to strain my ears to hear her words. "They went... hunting. They decided that it would be best if they left us behind; since they're going somewhere north of Ontario, and you probably wouldn't have been able to keep hunting if we went. They're going for about two weeks, so..." She trailed off, knowing I would understand what she meant.

Because it was true, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with them. I still needed to sleep, unlike the rest of my family.

I sighed. "I guess we should head back then," I murmured.

I stood up, taking Bella by the hand—she stood up as quickly as I had—and ran with her back to the mansion.

* * *

Another week passed, and as Bella had said, the others had yet to return. The house was unnaturally quiet, and though it was slightly unnerving, I revelled in the fact that I finally could hear my own thoughts—rather than the constant thoughts of others.

Bella and I had gone to our meadow almost every day that week, and I found myself once again sitting in the lush grass with my angel; admiring the beauty of nature before us.

But today was different. Bella seemed more distant than ever the past few days—even more so than when I was still human and she was trying to avoid me at all costs. I felt my heart sink; maybe she'd get over it soon.

I had never been so wrong in my life.

After well over an hour of silence, I finally, confronted her.

"What's wrong, love?" I asked gently, rubbing her shoulder absentmindedly with my hand. She gave no response to my question—she didn't even acknowledge that I was there. So I continued. "Bella, darling, what's wrong," I pressed. Still nothing. I sighed. "You know, you can tell me anything, I swear I can take it, Bella, whatever it is," I said more urgently.

"You want to know what's _wrong_," She exploded. "What's wrong is the fact that my family is gone, and I'm stuck here babysitting _you_." I cringed, and her expression and tone softened. "They're moving, Edward. They already left. They're not coming back."

I stared open-mouthed at her, completely aware of the fact that I looked more than stupid.

She continued as if she hadn't noticed my expression. "I stayed behind to say goodbye, Edward."

I found my voice. "I'm going with you."

"No, Edward," she mumbled. "I don't want you to come with me."

My mouth opened to speak, but no sound came out. I didn't believe this was happening. It was an awful nightmare. It had to be.

When I didn't respond, Bella repeated herself, more fiercely. "I'm going to join my family, you're going to stay here. Don't worry," her voice was a barely audible whisper, "I can promise you one thing: it will be like I never existed. I promise."

I laughed humourlessly. "Like it never happened? Really," I said half-hysterically, "If it never happened then why—why am I like this? Why am I a _monster_?" She cringed at the word monster, but I was done talking anyways. I knew I was fighting a losing battle. I could see it in Bella's eyes; she didn't want me and that was final.

"I'm sorry, Edward," she whispered. And then she was gone.

I was too stunned to even follow her. Too shocked to check which way she was headed.

I was tired. My body was tired. I hadn't even realized I was standing until my knees buckled out from under me and the soft grass rushed up to meet my face.

I stared blankly, seeing nothing. For all I cared, there _was_ nothing. Only an empty whole where my heart should have been.

No one would know that this had happened. For all they cared, I had moved in with the Cullens—which meant that I moved away with them. Besides, school was over. Everyone was on vacation. There was no one to notice my absence.

So I stayed where I was, crumpled in the grass, staring at nothing, knowing nothing. I didn't move, I barely breathed. I didn't eat.

I couldn't comprehend what had happened. I spent the first week laying there, trying to understand. Something vital was missing from my life, but I couldn't _think_, much less remember.

It was a long week.

Finally, I came to terms with what had happened—well, I had acknowledged that it had happened, anyways. There was no way I was accepting it.

Bella... _my_ Bella... was gone. Presumably forever. She just... left.

And yet I found myself unable to move, unable to wake from this horrible dream.

* * *

Week three was worse than the first two.

I had become thirsty again. The need for blood was overpowering, but I was too weak to do anything about it. Too weak to move. I felt my fangs digging painfully into my lower lip, causing blood to pour from my mouth in agonizing harmony with my heart; I felt the colour slowly and literally drain from me as I became less and less human from the lack of fresh blood.

I closed my eyes wearily, unwilling to accept the sunlight any longer. I remembered a time when sunlight made the world shimmer like a thousand diamonds.

Darkness engulfed me.

* * *

After five weeks, I was barely aware of anything anymore. Every now and then I had been able to catch a glimpse of the mind of an animal when it wandered too close to my weak body, and I would reach out and half-control it, allowing myself to become Edward-the-deer, Edward-the-rabbit, Edward-the-bird... but never Edward Masen—and especially not Edward Cullen.

It was after one of my moments of pure agony as the hole in my chest tore through itself that I realized I wasn't alone.

I heard thoughts—human thoughts—and light movements. I squeezed my eyes tighter together, not willing to acknowledge those who were disturbing my peace.

The air smelled faintly woodsy. Wet dog and pine trees.

When the disturbance got closer to me, I was able to pick up the noise and the location of the movement. _Go away_, I mentally commanded them—_willed_ them to leave.

Still, it drew closer, until I heard the quiet sniffing of a canine not 10 yards from myself.

I felt my brow furrow slowly—I hadn't moved in well over a month, all movement was slow for me—and still tried to will the creatures away.

I stopped thinking for half a second and analyzed the sound. It didn't add up. I heard at least four mental voices, but only one other heartbeat. Only one steady intake of breath—I had abandoned breathing over a week prior to the moment, it was a waste of my time, and caused more animals to wonder my way and disturb me.

Finally, I gave into my curiosity and annoyance. If the being would not leave when I mentally prodded it, then I would _make_ it go. By force.

Also, I was dying to figure out the mental voice situation. My senses had never been fooled before.

I cracked an eye open, taking several moments to adjust to the sudden blaring light, and looked to the source of my annoyance.

I came face-to-face with a large wolf.

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**A/N: kay, so i thought i'd be nice and give you a chapter, rather than just a short little prologue. so i'll update as soon as i can, but i've had difficulties finding time lately, so i'll do my best, but no promises XD**

**anyways, i'm not gonna ramble, but i would like to know what you guys think should happen**

**holdin' my breath 'til morning**

**~Vicki**


	3. Chapter 2: Prisoner

**This chapter is dedicated to Yuki Battosai, because without her I wouldn't have written it XP**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it.**

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Chapter 2: Prisoner

I blinked several times, trying to take in this impossible scene. I had clearly been lying in this field for too long; gone too long without so much as cracking an eyelid. The wolf before me had to have been twice the size of a normal wolf—no, larger. It was coated with long, russet fur; and had eyes that spoke of an intelligence that no animal should possess. I scoped the area one more time; making sure that I was indeed alone with this huge creature, then sighed. Something was strange about this wolf—there were too many mental voices coming from it.

I sat up—painfully—and did a mental scan over my muscles. Everything was still and painful, but still working—albeit I felt extremely weak. I knew that if this wolf decided it didn`t like me, I wouldn`t be able to put up much of a fight.

I sighed, and slowly began standing up. The wolf growled, clearly not happy with my sudden movement.

_Can I kill it?_ The voice caught me off guard; and I looked around for the source. It hit me suddenly that the wolf was asking—but _who_ was it asking? My eyes scanned the field for the third time in the past three minutes; searching for whomever this strange wolf was speaking to.

_It is still human,_ a deeper—more powerful—mental voice spoke back. The russet wolf before me growled louder, and I felt myself froze in my place.

I was beginning to understand what was going on here—as much as I didn't like it. It seemed that this wolf could communicate with other wolves—of the same pack, most likely. I was curious as to how these wolves were so advanced, but I realized that that was not the time to think of such things, as this wolf was clearly ready to pounce. He (I assumed it was a male, based on general size and mental voice, et cetera) was crouched; his sharp incisors bared and feral eyes locating every weak spot on my body.

_That is not a human. It is vermin. A parasite, a—_

_Enough, _the stronger voice commanded angrily. _Does he live, and breathe? Does he have a heartbeat?_

The russet wolf paused his constant growling for a moment; just in time to hear my heart beat. He looked defeated afterword, but too stubborn to give in.

_He is not natural, Sam. Can't you see that? _So they could share each other's minds, too, it seemed; my secondary mental track thought. I cocked my head to the side slightly, aware that these wolves had no idea as to my powers. It would be weird if I didn't respond in some way. I stopped my mental rambling, realizing that the stronger male was talking—was he the alpha?

_Jacob—_Okay, so the russet wolf was Jacob—_He did not ask for this life. He has not attacked anyone, as you are well aware. As far as I can tell, he is a new breed of leech. And as much as I despise those damned vampires, I cannot knowingly allow you to condemn this creature to death. _The voice was final, and had another layer added to it; filled with a finality that told me that this Jacob had no choice other than to obey.

Jacob's growling increased, to the point I found myself automatically covering my ears with my hands.

The sudden movement cost me dearly. The last thing I heard before my senses disappear was the desperate cry from the alpha wolf as Jacob's reflexes allowed him to disobey a command and russet fur took over my vision.

* * *

I woke up slowly, painfully, and opened my eyes to see blackness. I blinked a few times, trying desperately to clear my vision, before realizing that the annoying scraping over my eyes was material. I sighed, and began to move my hand to remove the cloth. Chains rustled, and I felt myself jump as I realized my situation. Within the span of one second, I had deduced that I was in a cellar—as the constant echo of dripping water led me to believe—probably somewhere near the ocean—La Push, most likely. Someone had graciously chained my wrists to the wall, without giving me enough room to even eat the food I smelled.

I dropped my head against the wall, and slid down sideways so that my right cheek rested against the cool stone floor.

I heard movement from a few feet away, and assumed it to be the wolf.

There was a coughing sound, and I realized that the wolf was trying to get my attention—but the cough was too human.

"Werewolf," I muttered, not to anyone in particular.

"Ah, so you know," a voice said. It reminded me an awful lot like the mental voice of the wolf who wanted to kill me. "You're lucky Sam made it a rule that I couldn't kill you, otherwise you'd be six feet under the dirt, and not six feet under cement." He huffed, obviously not pleased with this fact.

I laughed; although it was humourless. "You could have just left me where I was; I wasn't bothering anyone." I shifted slightly to become more comfortable—not that it made a difference, vampires don't get uncomfortable; which means that they're never truly comfortable, either. The same rules applied to me.

_The least he could do is sit up, _Jacob thought angrily. I made no move to sit upright again; what did I care if this wolf didn't like how I looked when spoke to him.

After several moments of silence, I sighed. "What's your problem? I'm the one who's chained to the wall." I rattled the chains slightly for added affect. In the time my mother was alive, she had never forgotten to teach me that punctuation when speaking was always important.

I could practically hear the wolf roll his eyes at me. "Well," he said, his tone slightly bored, "you could at least try eating the food I gave you, it took effort getting it, you know." _Though not that much effort; I can't see how someone could _enjoy _drinking blood. _"It's not much, honestly, because you deserve to starve to death. But once again, against the rules. So you'll have to make do with this." I heard the air whoosh as he gestured toward the food. "Steak, _very_ rare. Lots of blood. Appetizing, right?"

I scoffed. "What do you think I am; a shark?" I asked, allowing disbelief to tone my voice.

_You may as well be,_ the wolf thought rudely. I rolled my eyes behind my blindfold before continuing. It took an effort to make it seem that I had no idea what he was thinking.

"Anyways, I can't move my arms much," I rattled the chains again, with less energy than the first time. "And besides, I haven't eaten anything in quite some time, I can hardly move as is."

_So he wasn't holding back... he really _is_ weak. Sam will be glad to know._

I was starting to get very annoyed with this wolf.

I decided that instead of snapping at the immature wolf, I'd try to make small talk; maybe convince him to remove the blindfolds, at the very least.

"So," I said quietly, searching for a topic. "Do I get to know the name of my captor?" I knew the odds he'd tell me were slim, but it was worth a shot. Kidnapping rule number one: never learn names, it makes everything harder. My plan was to make this experience as dreadful as possible, so that maybe he'd let me go home to sulk in peace.

Jacob snorted. "Why do you care?"

I shrugged painfully. "I find, from past experiences, that it's nice to know who it is that plans to torture or kill you... or both. You know, that way you at least have some idea as to what's going on in the remainder of your pitiful life." The wolf seemed less intelligent than I originally though; bluntness was absolutely necessary with this one.

Through my telepathy I saw Jacob raise an eyebrow. "So, you know what it's like to be tortured?"

I waved my arm in yet another chain-rattling gesture; symbolizing everything in general. "You think I _wanted_ this to happen? To become a half-blood-sucking beast? I'm neither vampire, nor human. I'm somewhere in between, a luxury I'm sure you know all about; only you don't have to suffer it alone."

A sudden intake of breath came from Jacob's direction. "How did you know?"

I gulped loudly. That was mistake number one. I let the wolf know that I knew more than I was supposed to. Mistake number two was my horrible reaction.

"I'm sorry?" I asked politely, trying not to let my nervousness show.

"You know about the others." Jacob said bluntly.

"I... what? _Others?" _I asked, sounding as surprised as I possibly could. Unfortunately, my voice was half an octave higher than it should have, and Jacob caught it. Never mind what I had said earlier, this wolf was sharper than he let on.

I heard a whoosh of air, and a second later I was standing upright, back against the wall. Though, I guess _upright_ is not the correct word to use. Upright implies that I was standing straight up, which I was not. The restraints on my wrists kept me from getting any straighter than a medium crouch; which made the arm pinning my chest to the wall cause more pain than was absolutely necessary.

I grunted in pain, trying to symbolize that I meant no harm, and just wanted to sit down again. Jacob wasn't paying attention.

"You damned _leech_, what do you know about my pack?" He spat at me, raising my body higher from the floor so that the cuffs tore the skin on my wrists. I felt what little colour I had left drain from my body with the blood from my wrists.

"I don't know anything!" I growled, trying to sound menacing through the pain.

"Liar!" He screamed, adding more pressure to my chest. A resounding crack echoed through the room, and I felt pain spread through my body.

Three ribs broken, I guessed, wincing. I felt Jacob wince, too. I guess even _he _can appreciate someone else's pain; even a monster's.

"Can you... can you let me down, please?" I choked out, and then coughed horribly. Judging from the smell, I coughed up blood. I sagged against the wall, relieved from the lack of strain against my aching chest. "Thanks," I mumbled, then fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

I came back into the world again, my chest pounding and my wrists raw and bleeding, but I felt lighter, somehow. As if I was no longer being weighed down. I shifted slightly, groaning as my chest came into contact with the surface beneath me. My voice was muffled slightly by a pillow, and I opened my eyes to actually see something for once.

I was lying on a cot, a thin blanket spread over my body and an old pillow under my head. My left arm was still chained to the wall; although the chain was longer and my wrist was bandaged. And—to my slight comfort—my right arm was bandaged and _free of chains_, and my blindfold was missing. There was a small window in the top of the wall, and the light of dusk filtered into the room, illuminating the world enough for me to see clearly.

Several moments passed before I realized that there was another figure in the room, sitting in an old armchair as far from my person as the cellar would allow.

"Your eyes are really strange, you know." He said, and I recognized the voice as belonging to Jacob, although it seemed strange coming from this human. He seemed burly—kind of like Emmett—with strong features, intense eyes, and short cropped hair. His face was a mask, blocking all emotion. Only I knew that the mask was a waste of time; I knew everything he was thinking.

When I didn't reply, he continued. "You know, they're completely silver, except for the green tint. It's strange. Leeches usually have red eyes, and sometimes gold. I didn't notice it before; because I was too busy making sure you didn't attack, but now..." He trailed off, clearly signalling that it was my turn to explain.

I coughed; blood splattered the blanket covering me. I sat up, wincing the whole way.

"You never answered my question, you know," I said casually. His thoughts were confused, so I explained. "You never game me your name." I held out my unchained hand. "Edward Masen; nice to meet you."

Jacob seemed concerned at first, and then realized I was civilized; and chuckled softly. "Jacob Black; the pleasure is _all_ mine."

I couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, I guess it would be. You've gotten yourself your very own parasite prisoner." Jacob's eyes widened, and I mentally scolded myself. Mistake number three.

"I never once used the word '_parasite_', lee—Edward. How did you know?" His eyes narrowed menacingly.

"I—well, who said that I picked up the word from you? I just stated what I am, a parasite."

I had hoped Jacob had missed my slip up, but he didn't. A growl sounded low in his throat.

"What are you hiding, leech?!" he shrieked, throwing his armchair at me—wasn't he _just_ sitting in that? Werewolves move faster than I had originally thought—but I didn't have time to think of this; I was busy dodging an angry wolf, while still chained to a wall.

"You know—" I said, between dodging the chair and a garbage can, "—this is hardly fair, since—" a plate of food, this time. I stopped dodging then, and caught the steak that followed the plate. I made a disgusted face at it, and then it too was on the floor. "—since you haven't fed me since I've been down here. About—" I cocked my head to the side. "Well, I've sort of lost time. But judging by how weak I feel, I'd say—" I gasped; Jacob having given up on throwing things at me and counting on my inability to move from the wall. He moved in toward me at a stunning speed, and I backed into the cot, falling over it and collapsing it. His fist had soon collided with my stomach. I coughed; staining his sleeve with blood.

"Shut up, leech," he said angrily. His body seemed to shiver with some sort of internal fight. _Can't kill him..._ "You're the one who chose not to eat. I left food for you, as you can see."

I laughed humourlessly. "You left food, sure, but out of reach. That's more like torture than help."

Jacob's eyes widened. "What?"

"You obviously need to work on your math skills," I huffed, "since you clearly don't know how to measure properly." I felt my muscles relax, and I sagged onto the floor. My head lolled on my neck, resting heavily on the stone floor.

The wolf seemed dumbfounded. "I... what?"

"Besides," I continued weakly, "give me blood, or give me cooked food. Nothing in between. That's just disgusting." I let out a weak laugh. "At this point I'd even accept your blood; and you stink."

"Really? I think I smell pretty nice," he said, sniffing his shirt. "And it's weird, because you don't smell like most leeches. Your scent is still sweet, but in a nice way."

I smiled. "That's what all the girls say."

Jacob's face crinkled, but he kept his composure. "Alright, stupid comment, I guess."

"No," I said sarcastically. "That has to be the smartest thing you've said all day."

Jacob chuckled softly, his rage obviously over. Though it had me wondering about the stability of those wolves. I rolled limply onto my side, caught up in a fit of bloody coughs. "So, if you're not supposed to kill me, then can I have something to eat? Preferably blood, since I seem to be losing all of mine." I sent a weak smile in his general direction.

Jacob grunted, and crouched down next to me. "Here," he said, thrusting his wrist into my face.

I raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What am I supposed to do with that, wolf?" I asked honestly. He really did stink. Besides, if he hated vampires so much, why was he doing this?

I felt my fangs grow steadily, piercing my lower lip.

"It's the least I can do, since I've almost killed you several times now, in multiple ways." He laughed darkly.

I looked at Jacob warily, and then toward his wrist. I opened my lips slowly, shutting my eyes tightly, and took Jacob's wrist in my hands. I brought it to my mouth, and chomped down; silently enjoying his momentary pain. I drank greedily, literally feeling the colour return to my body.

_It's not that bad,_ Jacob thought. Though I knew that he was lying to himself. Allowing me to drink his blood went against everything he was.

After several moments I decided that I had taken enough from the wolf, and withdrew my mouth. My fangs ached with the need of blood, but I knew that if I kept going, the wolf would probably die. _And then I'd never get out of here,_ I reminded myself unhappily. I sat back and pushed his arm away. No need for temptation.

"Go wrap that up, quickly," I said, turning my head away from Jacob, eyes still shut tightly.

"I... yeah," he said weakly, getting up and staggering away. _That was... wow... should that really have been so enjoyable?_

I couldn't help but chuckle. So maybe I had let a little of my venom slip. It wasn't lethal to him—unlike normal vampire venom, as Carlisle had told me in previous months.

"_You know, I don't think your venom is the same, Edward," he had said, after comparing our venoms. "It doesn't work the same as ours. It doesn't have the stimulants that change people, as ours do. It doesn't even contain the acid. It's only endorphins."_

I sighed, enjoying my moment of solitude. I could hear the wolf on the floor above me, hear his loud thoughts, but at least I had a moment to think to myself.

I looked down at my left arm, still shackled and chained to the wall. However, it was no longer as pale as it was before. I smirked, already feeling better. I watched in silence as the raw skin of my wrist mended itself. Slowly, but still faster than any human should be able to heal. About two hundred percent faster. There was no scabbing over, only skin mending itself.

Jacob walked back down the stairs more graceful than when he had left. Clearly the wolves heal faster than I did.

He looked at me nervously, and froze mid-step.

"Hey, lee—Edward, you're eyes... they're..."

I flashed my lopsided grin at Jacob. "It's amazing, isn't it, what a little blood will do for me. I already feel ten times better—no, more. Let me guess. My eyes; they're green?"

He nodded; eyes wide. "Green," he repeated weakly.

* * *

**Mmk, so I know this took a long time, but as I said at the beginning of this chapter, it wouldn't have been done at all without Yuki... since I didn't plan on writing anything 'til she asked me to, heh.**

**And this chapter is slightly longer, to make up for the wait. Though it's not much longer, but whatever. **

**Anyways, it's summer time. One week of exams and it's done. And then I have one more week of dance rehearsals and then the actual show, and then I am free to write! Except my dad's going back to school, and I'll have to do shtuff at night in place of him, and that's when I'm not working. Soooooo.... I'll post when I can XP**

**'til then,**

**~Vicki**


	4. Chapter 3: Judgement

**A/N: okay, so I realize that I'm like, _the _slowest updater in the history of slow updaters (if that's a word) for fanfiction; and I'm kind of sorry. But whatever, I was able to crank out 4,197 words for this one, without author's notes, which isn't so bad. Right?**

**Anyways, I wasn't going to write this at all, but I got hit with sudden inspiration while eating my Chicken Swiss tonight, and I had to get it out. So I did. =D**

**So, without further ado, let the chapter begin (note, there is a cuss word in here, please don't feel the need to repeat it incessently... although it was the first word I ever learned... no lie XP)**

**Edit: I fixed a few typos and whatnot in this chapter... and added a few tidbits of information; but otherwise, it hasn't been changed much. If you've already read this chapter, don't feel the need to read it again, I didn't change enough for you to have to do that.**

**Disclaimer: 'nuff said.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Judgment

Jacob stood by the entrance to the cellar for several more moments, and I allowed him to think about the situation. However, after approximately five minutes had passed, I grew tired of our strange staring contest.

I cleared my throat loudly and shifted my position on the collapsed cot. I played with the coarse blanket under me and looked at Jacob, my left eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Well? Are you going to say something, wolf, or do you plan on gawking at me all day?" I half chuckled at him, somewhat humourlessly.

"I, um, well..." he gulped loudly, shifting his weight between his feet uncomfortably. "How did you..."

I sighed angrily. "I meant something _intelligent_, wolf." I paused, my head cocking to the side. "Do you even know what the word intelligent means?"

More silence.

"_Intelligent. _Having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend...." He still said nothing, so to add insult to injury, I continued. "Acute, apt, brilliant, calculating, capable, comprehending, enlightened, ingenious, keen, knowledgeable, perceptive, ratio—"

"Okay, okay! I get it. Could you _please_ shut up? The last thing I need is an arrogant leech in my basement," Jacob spat.

A slight chuckle escaped my lips; as unstable as the wolf was, he was fun to mess with.

Jacob growled loudly from deep in his throat; reminding me that I was his prisoner. I smiled innocently, although we both knew I was anything but.

"So..." I said brightly, tired once again of these games. "When am I free?" I leaned casually against the wall; although I didn't fail to let out a short huff of pain—my body wasn't completely mended, despite the blood I had recently acquired.

Jacob scoffed. "Free? What are you talking about? It doesn't matter how different you are from normal leeches, you're still a danger to society. I plan to ext—" he cut off suddenly, clearly realizing that he was telling the _leech_ what his plans were. Only I knew where his thought was going. _Exterminate_.

I sighed. "So then what are you doing here? If you don't plan on keeping me alive, that is." I spared no time in letting him know that I was fully aware what his _plans_ were.

Jacob shrugged. _I can't believe I have to guard this stupid leech. It's like he knows everything that ever touches my mind. I can't _stand_ it! I wish I could just kill him here and now. But... it's up to Sam to decide what to do, not me._

I gulped. So, I was going to meet the alpha, after all. I was beginning to wonder why he hadn't made an appearance... or ordered my death in the first place.

However, there was a more prominent problem forming in front of my eyes—well, not so much prominent as in the moment. My eyes shifted quickly around the room, finding exactly what I had hoped I would.

"Well," I said, motioning toward the small item in the far corner of the room—a stack of cards, "while we're waiting for your wolfy friends, care to a game of _Go Fish_?"

* * *

After playing _Go Fish_ exactly seventy-three times—and beating Jacob every time (thanks to my _special abilities_), I heard three distinct minds approach Jacob's home—although they were still about half a mile away (in truth, I could have heard them sooner, but really I couldn't care to try).

I leaned back against the wall, clearly abandoning the boring game, and closed my eyes. I counted Jacob's heartbeats to pass the time—his heart beat more often than mine, after all, and it seemed more reasonable to measure time that way.

Finally, the three minds resembling Jacob's burst through the door. _Does anyone respect people's privacy anymore?_ Jacob thought angrily, and I couldn't help but let a chuckle pass my lips. Jacob shot me a menacingly glare, but other than that, remained silent.

"Jacob, you down there?" a voice that I could only assume to be Sam's called down the stairs.

"He has to be, can't you _smell_ the leech? It practically reeks of leech down there; while the rest of the place only has traces of it," a very bitter sounding female said. I decided to take a closer look at her mind, curious as to why she seemed so angry. However, upon entering her mind, I had to suppress a grimace. Her every thought was focused on the tall male standing slightly ahead of her.

Three sets of footsteps walked semi-quietly down the stairs.

All three stopped abruptly when they caught sight of the scene before them. I flashed my crooked smile and waved quickly at them, both sensing and hearing their complete discomfort.

Jacob turned slowly, clearly embarrassed by the cards scattered on the floor—and I didn't need to read minds to know that.

The surprise was evident on all three of the new wolves' faces.

"_What_ is going on here?" the female demanded, her voice shooting an octave higher than her mental voice.

"Leah, I—I can explain!" Jacob spluttered, rising swiftly to his feet. I chuckled low in my throat, and four pairs of eyes flashed in my direction—three glaring, one ashamed.

"There is time for explaining," Sam said, eyeing me cautiously. I noticed the two wolves flanking him tense, ready to pounce on me in a moment's notice.

I stretched casually, the chains hanging from my wrist rattling noisily, making every effort to cause discomfort to my captors. I grinned at the four wolves menacingly.

"But first," Sam continued awkwardly, "I think we should relocate where the lighting is better and the accommodations more..." he risked a glance around the room—with its grey walls, nonexistent lighting and broken furniture scattered about. "...comfortable," he finished.

I smiled brilliantly at him before fixing my gaze on Jacob. "I think that's a wonderful idea, don't you agree, wolf?"

* * *

Finally—mercifully—I was taken out of the damp cellar and given an actual place to sit—although I still lack the ability to gain comfort of any sort. As they were taking me into Jacob's living room, I caught a glance at the weather network on his worn out television. What I read completely caught me off guard, and I felt my eyes bugging out of my head.

How could it possibly be nearly three A.M.... much less December 23rd? How long had I been in the meadow... how long had I been in Jacob's cellar? I was sure it hadn't been more than twenty-four hours, but of course I had spent a good portion of time unconscious—thanks to Jacob.

I allowed the four wolves to cram their huge bodies onto the couch—well, the three males did; Leah stood in the far corner or the room and glared at me.

I took my own seat on the floor, placing myself far away from the door—why give them any more reason to attack or _kill_ me? Not that my life had much point anyways, but I was sure that Bella would want me to _survive_, even if it was a pitiful existence.

The mere thought of Bella sent a wave of hysteria rolling through my body; I slumped in my seat and held back the tearless sobs threatening to escape me. I was better than this—what would Bella think if she saw me crying?

"Wha—what's wrong?" the fourth wolf asked—obviously the most juvenile, based on his appearance and excited thoughts.

_He seems friendly enough. Maybe we could hang out sometime? Of course, as long as Sam allows him to live... _the wolf's thoughts then went through play-by-plays of how they could kill me. I withdrew from his mind, hoping to be a little bit more optimistic than he was.

Less than five seconds of silence had passed, and I realized that the wolves were all looking at me expectantly. I sucked in a deep breath, composed myself, and glared back at the three wolves on the couch. I was deeply satisfied when Sam and Jacob both recoiled. A feral snarl could be heard from Leah's corner of the room. I felt a grin spread across my face.

"Seth—" so that was the young one's name. "—you shouldn't be so concerned about the leech. Why are you even here? I told you to stay home; you're too young to be around someone so lethal." Sam's voice was barely a whisper; I had to strain my ears to catch a trace of the noise, but I got the gist of it.

_The poor kid, tries to make friends with everything that has a backbone,_ Sam thought angrily, stealing a glance at his young friend.

Seth seemed more than uncomfortable with this thought. He shifted in his place nervously. "You know that I can't just leave my sister alone, mom made me swear to protect her. Besides," he looked at me hopefully, "I think this vampire could contribute a lot to our society." He sent a goofy looking grin to me, seeming pleased with the conclusion he had come to.

Sam raised an eyebrow angrily. "And what exactly do you mean by that?" he demanded, rising quickly to his feet. He shoved a finger in my direction. "He's a leech, a bloodsucking _parasite_! And you expect me to believe that he can—can _contribute_ to society? Don't make me laugh, Seth. You're just a kid. _Go home._"

Seth shrunk down in his seat, but otherwise made no indication that he planned on moving. However, he _did _defend his case. "Well, he's different, you know? Like, he seems so much more... civilized—" Leah snarled menacingly at Seth, and then at myself when my heart decided to remind them that I was still sitting there.

Jacob snorted from his seat on the overstuffed couch. "He may seem civilized, but he's still a leech. Trust me, I had to spend the week with him—" had I really been in that cellar for a week? I felt my eyes widen at the thought. I was borderline hysteria now. "—and when he was awake, he was constantly tryin' to mess with me, and, I don't know, he's just so... so _annoying_ sometimes! But," he looked guiltily at me before continuing, "but I have to say, he's a good guy. He never fought back, you know," he motioned toward me, to the blood staining my shirt and the bruises underneath it. "and, I don't know how dangerous he is when he's unchained, like he is now, but he's made no move to run or injure us in any way..." he trailed off, clearly done with his awkward speech.

Leah scoffed, finally deciding to voice the thoughts running through her head—minus the constant thoughts of Sam (suffice to say that I had seen a side of him that I never should have had to; but I suppose that there has to be _some_ sort of downside to having such a talent as telepathy). "He hasn't tried to run because he knows we'll catch him, especially when he's so injured. Besides, if he tried to attack one of us, the other three would easily rip him into little pieces." She grinned triumphantly at me.

I rolled my eyes dramatically; making absolutely sure that she saw me. I leaned back against the wall, waiting for the next part of the debate. By that point I had easily classified which were on my side. Leah and Sam were clearly against me, while Seth was eager to keep me alive—and probably befriend me. Jacob, however, I wasn't so sure about. He seemed to be constantly battling indecision, and I wasn't sure if that would be good for me, or bad.

I shifted so that I was sitting cross-legged, still leaning against the wall. I rolled my head around on my neck; a resounding _crack_ filled the air. All four wolves cringed at the painful noise. Another feral growl sounded from Leah's throat. A hysterical laugh escaped my throat abruptly, and I sunk lower to the ground. My odds of escaping this alive were getting lower and lower as the minutes ticked by.

"Well," Sam said, his posture remaining as stiff as ever, "I'm not sure if he'd do more good or harm." I had to suppress the hope that was steadily growing inside of me. "But as it stands, he poses no immediate threat to us. And it would seem," he glanced at my bloody shirt once more, "that it isn't too difficult to cause him harm. So, he should be allowed to live—that is, until he even poses a _slight_ threat to this community. In which case, he must be taken care of. _Immediately_." The tone of finality in his voice even had me crouching under the pressure. The power given to the alpha wolf must have been absolutely terrifying, if it had this much power when he was in his human form. It took me several slow breaths to calm myself.

Sam stood up abruptly; silencing Leah's growling and putting a stop to Seth's triumphant grin. "Now," he said, brushing specs of dirt from his faded jeans, "I think it would be best if the leech—"

"—Edward," I interrupted quietly. When Sam glared at me for disrupting his train of thought, I smiled encouragingly. "I find it's always easier to get to know someone if you know their names, rather than calling them as insults." I would have continued, but I found that it was probably not best to irritate the man who had just prolonged my lifespan.

"Whatever," Sam said crossly, folding his arms over his chest. This one seemed to be as unstable as Jacob was when it came to anger problems. This group seriously needed some therapy. I was surprised that they all hadn't lunged at my throat by now. "Anyways," he continued, "it'd be best if the lee—if Edward stayed in La Push. Probably a different pack house every few days. You know, since he seems to be pretty good at getting into people's heads."

And with that, I burst into hysterics. I didn't even notice the four sets of eyes that had turned to me questioningly.

* * *

All five of us—Sam, Jacob, Seth, Leah and myself—sat around the small table in Jacob's kitchen. The handcuffs had been returned to their former place on my wrists, and I rattled the chain to a rhythm that only I could hear. I was bored; there were no other words that could describe how I felt in that moment. They were all wolfing down their midnight dinner—wolfing, get it? Ha ha—and I was stuck sitting in the corner, waiting for my new babysitters to deem me safe enough to go without the handcuffs. I could easily have broken them off myself, but why set a bad impression? So there I sat, pretending I couldn't hear their minds—Seth's triumph, Sam's distrust, Jacob's anger at his pack helping themselves to his food without permission, and Leah's thoughts of Sam. I blanched at the thought of her thoughts.

The wolves finally finished their meals—except for Leah, who hadn't touched hers—and moved to leave the kitchen. Jacob yanked me to my feet, and the sudden movement jerked my ribs out of place. I heard rather than felt the hiss escape my lips, and ripped my cuffed hands away from Jacob's grip and brought them to my wounded chest. I cradled my ribs weakly as I felt the blood soak through my shirt and stain my hands. I felt myself fall to my knees, although the contact with the ground didn't faze me. There was shouting, but my ears were filled with water and the sound didn't reach my mind.

The last thing I was able to register was a bleeding arm being thrust into my vision, and the faint smell of animal blood reaching my nose.

* * *

When I was finally able to think, I realized that there was blood flowing freely down my throat. I opened my eyes in a haze, and sure enough, a dark arm was in my line of vision. I peered out of the corner of my eye and saw Jacob's concerned expression attached to the arm in my face. It wasn't until I inhaled that I realized my fangs had somehow gripped into his wrist. I grudgingly pulled them out, licking the blood that clung to my fangs as they slowly retracted to their normal size.

I sat up somewhat dizzily, trying my best to take in my surroundings. Looking to my left, I was able to see that Leah was standing as far from me as possible, her eyes averted from the scene before her. Seth was trying to calm her, to reassure her that I wasn't dead—not that she really cared. When I glanced to my right, I saw that Sam was watching my curiously. He was clearly amazed by my self-control; by my ability to drink blood without killing my donor—and, it seemed, he was completely taken off guard by something. However, when I tried to search his mind for the source of his confusion, all I was able to come up with was a picture of the kitchen floor—covered in blood.

I moved my right hand to run through my hair, and realized suddenly that I had broken my handcuffs in my unconscious state. I also realized that my chest throbbed in pain with every slow heartbeat, and my shirt was slicked red with blood.

I took in a shaky breath. "I thought you decided to let me live," I said weakly, trying my best to smile. It came out as a grimace. "And yet within the hour you have me half dead on your floor."

Jacob seemed overtly uncomfortable at the mention of the past experience. "Edward, breaking the cuffs wasn't the only thing you did. I don't know how, but you—" _you fucking disappeared off of the face of the earth_, "—you—I don't know. How did you _do_ that?" His eyes bugged out of his head.

"I'm confused," I murmured. There was no point in letting them know that I could read their minds. Why would they need more reasons to end my life? "What, exactly, did I do?" I felt my eyes widen of their own accord.

"You disappeared, Edward! _Whoosh_!" Seth, exclaimed, fully equipped with arm motions for proper punctuation.

"I... what?" I didn't have to fake confusion this time, I didn't understand at all what was happening; hearing it out loud didn't make it any easier on me then hearing it from their minds did.

"It's probably some sort of survival technique, so that when he needs it most, he can disappear; stay out of sight from stronger, full vampires. Or to find prey easier without having to risk alerting the animal or..." he shot me a warning glare, "...or person." He stretched, showing everyone that he just wanted to go _home_. "So, we're going to train this leech—see what else he can do. That way we can better decide what powers he has, and whether or not he should be allowed to live on this planet..." he glanced at the clock, and I felt my eyes wander there too. 5:31 A.M. It's a good thing I don't get drowsy, or else I would have had a difficult time following the pack's minds and mouths. "I think it would be best if we just destroyed that shirt," Sam continued, completely uncaring of his pack's attention. "Who knows what the l—what Edward's blood could do to us? To humans?"

With that, Jacob swiftly removed my shirt. I snarled at the contact, but otherwise was unbothered. The temperature affected me about as little as the darkness did. However, what I didn't expect was the hiss that came from the other side of the small room.

_He's... he's... but... it's not... how? ... It's not possible, but... _Leah's mind gibberish was accompanied by a swirl of pictures of myself. Bruised and bloody and...

_And the sun is rising and hitting my skin_, I thought, glancing out the small kitchen window. The sun was rising, and the rays that hit my tattered skin made me glow a soft golden colour.

But that wasn't all that she was thinking of. I had forgotten how perfect vampires were made to be; I was no different despite the fact that I was more human than normal vampires. I was a ghost vampire; I was stuck between worlds. I had human emotions and appearances... in the perfection of a vampire.

Images and thoughts of Sam were abruptly replaced with images of myself, of my refined muscles. I scoffed; this wolf was pretty shallow. Although I understood why she would be so eager to replace Sam in her mind—she was hurting, much like I was. She had been abandoned by him, like I had been abandoned by my fa—by the Cullens, and she had been forced to live in his world, exactly like I had been. _Forced._ Neither of us had been given a choice; we had been thrown into this mess without remorse from the other side.

I was able to sympathize with her, but that didn't mean I wanted her to think such things of me. If this continued, I would have to say something to her—politely, of course. My mother—may she rest in peace—had raised me to be a perfect, honest gentleman.

"So, then what's he going to wear?" Jacob complained after a moment of thought. "I'm sure my clothes wouldn't fit him." _And I don't want them to smell like him, either. He may not smell as bad as the other leeches, but the smell would still get to me if I had to deal with it all day_.

Jacob's thoughts were not so nice, but I still agreed with him. The wolves kind of stank. A _lot_. There was no way I would surround myself with the stench more than was absolutely necessary.

I cleared my throat to gain attention. "It'd probably be best if I remained shirtless, you know—since I seem to keep bleeding all over mine. I don't really care," I shrugged, "temperature doesn't bother me; and I can't become uncomfortable." When I had finished my speech, I slumped back against the wall. I felt so weak, even though I knew that at this time I was anything but.

"I think it's time that we all went to sleep," Sam said harshly to the pack. _I don't want to be anywhere _near _this leech anymore._ He clearly didn't have much patience left; and my patience for him was running low. Why did all the wolves have to mentally _shout_ at me? "We can continue this—this _party_ at another time. I'm leaving. Seth, Leah, let's go." And with that the three wolves were gone; leaving just Jacob and I sitting on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.

Jacob glanced at me, then at the floor, and sighed loudly. He angrily cleaned the floor, throwing excess amounts of bleach onto the mess—was he _trying _to burn my nose?

Finally, Jacob finished, and brought me into the cellar again. However, this time I was surprised to find it was completely devoid of its former chaos, with a floor lamp in the far corner, and an unbroken cot with a pillow and a plush comforter. I turned to Jacob and raised my left eyebrow questioningly, to which he shrugged.

"Seth did it while you were out, which was for about twenty minutes, I'd say. It was weird, because we couldn't _find_ you. But we could hear you breaking things—the 'cuffs were first, I'd say, but you were knocking things over, too... but other than that you were completely silent... it was like you were a ghost..." He didn't say more, but his thoughts told me everything. It was like I had shut down completely, and gone into complete survival mode—although I didn't remember any of it and couldn't actually _see_ what I had done to become invisible, since Jacob couldn't see me.

Although, it made me wonder, how I had stumbled upon such an appropriate name for my kind. _Ghost vampire._

Jacob shrugged again. "I don't suggest you try to leave, we've always got a wolf or two on patrol, so, I'll see you later." He had walked halfway up the stairs before turning around to speak again—although I knew what he was going to say. "Oh, and I left the deck of cards for you. You know, in case you get bored. Anyways, g'night, leech," he said lamely, turning on his heel and slouching up the stairs.

"Sweet dreams, wolf," I said sarcastically. Although, I wasn't so sure if he was awake enough to hear the sarcasm.

"Sure, sure," I heard Jacob mumble as he walked sluggishly away.

The light click of the door's lock moving into place told me that I was now safe, so I walked over to the cot and collapsed onto it. For the first time in ages I felt almost alright.

I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled loudly; allowing a small hiss of pain to escape through my teeth as I did.

"Well," I muttered, to no one in particular. "That was a close one."

* * *

**A/N: alright, so this chapter is pretty cliffie-less. Isn't that great? Consider it a blessing, 'cause knowing me, I won't update again in forever (once again, my most sincere apologies). But whatever.**

**So, like always, I love me some reviews =D Please comment and whatnot, but keep flaming and crap to a minimal, because I tend to get overdefensive and there's a risk of being cussed out and embarrassed to whoever goes crazy on insulting my work... seriously, it's not pretty. And I have a _slight_ tendancy to make people feel like utter morons.**

**Oh yeah, and I noticed a few too many typos in the last chapter, but I'm too lazy to fix them. So you'll just have to deal with it =D**

**This work is unbeta'd, so you'll have to deal with the typos in this chapter too, oh well. I try to keep it as clean and neat and typo-free as possible; but my version of Word (2007, I think) doesn't really do spell checks well, so I have to fix everything by hand... well, key. Blah.**

**So yeah, reviews would be great! (Please review)**

**And remember, light a fire for a man and keep him warm for a few hours. Light a man on fire, keep him warm for the rest of his life =D (my dad literally told me that as I was typing this incredibly long and unnecessary Author's Note, lol.)**

**-Subliminal messageXxXxXxREVIEWxXxXxXxWEIVERxXxXxXegassem lanimilbuS-**


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